The Jackson State University Meteorology Program (JSUMP) recently
installed a Multifilter Rotating Shadowband Radiometer (MFRSR) through a
collaborative effort with the NOAA Center for Atmospheric Sciences
(NCAS) at Howard University. The MFRSR is currently in operation and
measures global, diffuse and direct normal components of Spectral Solar
Irradiance, in six narrow bands approximately 10 nm wide. The data
resulted from the measurements were used in the computations of aerosol,
water vapor, and ozone optical depths. The data for Solar Irradiance
were considered for clear day (Oct. 9th, 2006) as well as cloudy day
(Oct. 2nd, 2006) skies to study the effect of clouds on Radiation. The
results indicated that no atmospheric effects were observed in the
variation of total solar irradiance during clear skies. During cloudy
skies the atmospheric effects were observed due to clouds. Validation of
data with satellite measurements will be discussed. JSU will continue
measurements of solar and atmospheric radiation and aerosols for climate
studies and for long-range monitoring of Aerosol Radiation Network
(AERADNET).

CHRONIC ACCUMULATION PROFILE OF CADMIUM, LEAD, AND MERCURY IN
GOLDFISH

Mercury, lead and cadmium are among the most toxic heavy metals.
Under chronic exposure, fish accumulate these metals to higher levels in
the internal organs. The magnitude of stress induced by each individual
metal is not only dependent on the relative toxicity of the metal ion,
but also the target organ impacted. In this study, the uptake profile
and relative toxicity of Cd, Pb and Hg were studied using goldfish.
Goldfish were exposed to individual metals for ten days in glass tanks.
Two different concentrations of the metals were administered
individually: low level (20 [micro]g/L for Hg and 100 [micro]g/L for Cd
and Pb) and high level (50 [micro]g/L for Hg and 250 [micro]g/L for Cd
and Pb). Lethal effects were observed for fish exposed to Cd and Hg
within the first two days. Toxicity of Pb was less pronounced compared
to that of Cd and Hg. Internal organs, including the liver, gill,
kidney, and muscle tissue were removed from exposed fish and digested in
teflon vessels by nitric acid. Two different Certified Reference
Materials, dog fish liver (DOLT-1) and lobster hepatopancreas (TORT-2)
were digested using the same procedure for quality control. Samples were
analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The
magnitude of accumulation was higher in fish exposed low levels of
metals. Levels of Cd were consistently high in the kidney, while mercury
accumulated in the gills, and lead in gills and muscles to higher
levels.

The purpose of this project is to monitor the migration of
postlarval penaeid shrimp into a Mississippi estuary during the fall
season. Samples were taken with a beam plankton trawl at a single
station along the marsh edge in Davis Bayou, Jackson County. Weekly
sampling was conducted from mid-October through January. Water
temperature, dissolved oxygen, salinity, depth, and weather conditions
were recorded at the time of each sample. Penaeid shrimp were sorted,
identified to species, and the length, weight, total number, and total
biomass of each shrimp species recorded. While extensive research has
been conducted on the spring immigration of brown postlarval shrimp into
estuaries, little research has been done on postlarval recruitment into
estuaries during the fall. Brown postlarval shrimp migration into
estuaries peaks in the spring, but the postlarvae continue to recruit to
the estuary until winter. White postlarval shrimp usually peak in the
summer, but also continue to immigrate until winter. Pink postlarval
shrimp recruit to the estuary in fall until the winter. Abundance of
postlarvae is sometimes used to estimate predictions of commercial
landings.

THE POTENTIAL OF MISSISSIPPI MESONET DATA TO DETECT CERTAIN TYPES
OF FOG BASED ON MULTIPARAMETER PROXIES

Synoptic reports of fog or mist are routinely reported primarily
for FAA flight rules determination, by ASOS and AWOS stations sited at
medium to large sized airports. The primary criterion for definition of
fog or mist is according to the horizontal visibility range (0.5 statute
mile or less for fog; 7 statute miles or less for mist). Since fog or
mist is normally associated in Mississippi with relative humidity very
near 100% and specific conditions of surface layer static stability and
wind, it is hypothesized that sufficient relation to these ancillary
parameters will enable the creation of a usefully robust proxy for
fog/mist based on Mesonet-observed data. In order to develop such a
proxy, we have identified events in which a sufficient number of
ASOS/AWOS stations near a Mesonet station have reported fog/mist that a
widespread fog event can be assumed (thus including the Mesonet site).
By compositing and correlating Mesonet parameters for such cases at the
five currently operating Mesonet stations, we can determine the
feasibility and potential value of such a proxy fog product. For daytime
cases, the probable existence of fog at the site can further be
confirmed by visible satellite imagery.

Over the past two decades, researchers have studied gas hydrates
extensively because of the energy potential of the gases occluded. Gas
hydrates are present everywhere in the world, and a large amount of gas
hydrates are present in the Gulf of Mexico. The U.S. Geological Survey
estimates that gas hydrates possess more carbon than oil reserves. If a
safe and an economical process is developed to aquire the energy of gas
hydrates, the United States could obtain more fossil fuels locally. Due
to the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 (S.3711), states such
as Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana will receive royalties from any
harvesting of natural gas or oil up to one hundred miles off their
respective shores. This recently passed bill has hefty financial
implications for these three southern states which depend especially on
a method for finding and harvesting gas hydrates. However, locating gas
hydrates is a difficult task, so this project explores a unique
probability technique for locating gas hydrates. In this project,
documented discovery of gas hydrates, documented bottom simulating
reflections of gas hydrates, and documented oil reserves are combined
with Google Earth [c] software in order to locate areas of gas hydrate
concentration.

AGE AND GROWTH OF BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN (TURSIOPS TRUNCATUS) IN
MISSISSIPPI AND ADJACENT GULF OF MEXICO WATERS

The bottlenose dolphin is one of the most well known cetaceans,
because of its widespread use in marine parks and research facilities.
However, there is still a strong need for information on growth rates of
the species in order to better understand its ecology and population
status. The objective of this study is to obtain biological data to
elucidate the growth patterns of the bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops
truncatus, in the Mississippi Sound and adjacent waters of the northern
Gulf of Mexico. Teeth were collected from bottlenose dolphins stranded
on the mainland coast of Mississippi and the adjacent barrier islands.
The midsection of each tooth was cut into a 2-mm section using an isomer saw with a diamond-embedded blade. The section was then fixed in
formalin overnight, rinsed with tap water and decalcified in a
decalcifying acid mixture. Once decalcified, the sections were cut into
thin, 25 um sections using a sliding microtome equipped with a freezing
stage. These sections were then stained in Mayer's hematoxylin stain, rinsed in water before and after a weak ammonia rinse, and
mounted on slides in glycerin. The number of growth layer groups (GLG)
was read at least 3 times under a stereo microscope. Results revealed
that the dolphins varied in ages based on the number of the GLG layers
counted. The collection of information such as age and growth structure
and other parameters are crucial to understanding the population
dynamics and hence to successful management and conservation of the
bottlenose dolphin.

COMPARISON OF SAMPLE DISSOLUTON METHODS FOR ANALYSIS OF SOIL AND
SEDIMENTS FOR HEAVY METALS

Accurate information of the heavy metals in soil and sediments is
critical for better understanding the health issues of heavy metal
contamination. Determination of the metals from soil and sediments is,
however, a challenging task due to difficulties associated with sample
dissolution and instrumental analysis. While complete dissolution of
silicate may cause matrix interferences, incomplete dissolution and/or
extraction of the metals may yield lower values. Volatility differences
may also cause inaccuracies if the elements of interest are lost during
high-temperature digestion/extraction. It is therefore essential to
develop an analytical procedure to achieve complete extraction of the
trace metals into solution by minimizing the analyte loss and
dissolution of matrix elements. In this study, we investigated the
analytical performance of four different sample dissolution procedures
for analysis of soil and sediment samples for As, Cd, Cr, Hg, and Pb.
The methods were (a) open-vessel digestion by HN[O.sub.3]+HF, (b)
closed-vessel microwave-assisted digestion by HN[O.sub.3]+HF, (c)
closed-vessel microwave-assisted extraction by HN[O.sub.3], and (d)
ultrasonic extraction in 5% HN[O.sub.3]. The first two methods resulted
in complete dissolution of the soil and sediment samples. However, Hg
was completely lost in Method (a). Matrix interferences were highest in
Method (b) due to the silicate matrix. The heavy metals were extracted
by Method (c) without significant dissolution of the silicate matrix.
Method (d) was also an effective means of extracting the metals to
solution. This method also affords preparation of samples at room
temperature rapidly that virtually eliminates analyte loss and minimizes
contamination.

COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF METAL CONCENTRATIONS IN VARIOUS PONDS IN
MISSISSIPPI

The metal concentrations in various ponds in Mississippi were
measured to understand if the levels pose any health and environmental
risks. The ponds studied include Lake Hico, Crossgates Lake, Stonegates
Lake, Lake Catherine, Lakeland, Windsor Hill, Northlake Avenue, Belhaven
Lake, Grand Tunica, Swan Lake, and Shadow Lake. These are ponds are
actively used for fishing and watering crops, therefore, it is important
that possible metal contamination by toxic metal is monitored regularly
to avoid adverse health problems and for sustainability of aquatic life.
For this purpose, water samples were collected in two sites of each
individual pond. Samples were acidified to 0.1% nitric acid (pH~1.8)
immediately, and filtered in the laboratory by 0.45-[micro]m membrane
filters. Determinations were made by ICP-MS. The accuracy of the
elemental results from pond waters was validated by simultaneously
running standard water reference sample (SRM 1643e). The results
produced with YSI instrument showed pH was neutral between 7.5-8.5,
temperature was moderate (30-32 [degrees]C), salinity was low
(0.1-0.3%), and dissolved [O.sub.2] (DO) was at 7-8.5 mg/l. Results from
elemental analysis of SRM by ICP-MS analysis showed agreement with the
certified values. Most of theses ponds showed low levels of metal
concentrations (compared to safe drinking water standards EPA) except
with some metals (e.g., lead, chromium nickel, cadmium). Crossgates,
Grand Tunica, Swan Lake, North Lake Avenue, Windsor Hill, Lake
Catherine, Shadow Lake, Stonegates showed high concentrations of iron,
manganese, and arsenic.

FRIDAY AFTERNOON

Hunter Henry Executive Room 12

1:00 TRACE ELEMENT BEHAVIOR IN THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER PLUME AFTER
HURRICANES KATRINA AND RITA

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita caused substantial mixing of waters
along the Louisiana Shelf as well as remobilization of shelf sediments.
These physical disturbances could have resulted in a significant change
in trace element fluxes through this coastal mixing zone. Therefore,
samples of Mississippi River delta outflow waters were collected during
October 2006 and we report the results of trace element analyses of
these samples here. River endmember concentrations for a suit of
dissolved trace elements (Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, and V) were similar to
previous reports for Mississippi River water. Dissolved Ni and Cu showed
largely conservative mixing in the plume, also consistent with previous
observations. Dissolved Co, Cr, and Mn all showed maximum concentrations
at mid-salinities, though the salinity of maximum concentration varied
among these elements. These distributions are indicative of input from
reducing bottom sediments. There is little previous data for these
elements in this region, however, this behavior is not out of line with
other estuarine observations.

A previously undocumented atmospheric phenomenon of "nocturnal
warming events" has been discovered in data from the Mississippi
Mesonet meteorological observing network. The phenomenon may be broadly
defined as a sudden rise in air temperature during the nighttime hours,
without any likely connection with frontal or convective activity. As
Mesonet stations have been installed in various parts of Mississippi,
variations in frequency and intensity of such events have been noted. A
rough attempt has been made to classify the events according to: 1)
intensity of temperature increase; 2) existence of a correlated decrease
in dewpoint; 3) existence of a later sudden cooling that follows a
period of quasi-isothermal temperature; and 4) existence of a
significant increase in wind speed. In the most notable events: 1)
temperature is strongly anticorrelated with dewpoint; 2) temperature
levels off for an hour or two before dropping fairly rapidly; 3)
antecedent calm or very weak winds are replaced by wind speeds exceeding
2 m/s; and 4) the near-surface temperature inversion is reduced by 50%.
Although nocturnal warming events could plausibly be explained by a
variety of interacting mechanisms, most commonly it is believed that
suddenly intensified winds mix down warm, dry air from a strong
nocturnal radiation inversion. The trigger for reinvigorating the
surface winds is unclear, though gravity waves from geostrophic adjustment or distant convection may play a role.

1:40 PERFORMANCE OF COLLISION CELL ICP-MS FOR DETERMINATION OF IRON
FROM FISH OTOLITHS

Iron is an important trace element in otolith microchemistry to
gather information about the life histories of fish groups. However,
iron occurs at very low concentrations in oceanic and estuarine waters.
As a result, the iron concentration in the otoliths of fish is also very
low that makes the determination of iron problematic by ICP-MS due to
interferences of otolith matrix and spectral overlaps of polyatomic ions
on isotopes of iron. Even in most cases the results for iron are not
reliable to include in statistical evaluations. In this study, we have
investigated the performance of collision cell ICP-MS in simulated
otolith solutions. A method was developed to reduce the interferences of
calcium on iron. The method is based on the coprecipitation of iron with
sodium hydroxide to separate it from the interfering otolith calcium.
Because otoliths are predominantly (e.g., 96% CaC[O.sub.3]),
optimization of the precipitation conditions were carried out with
CaC[O.sub.3] (99.999%). Iron is quantitatively precipitated as
hydroxides at pH above 11.8. The precipitation of the calcium was
controlled by optimizing the volume of sodium hydroxide solution used.
The procedure was validated by analysis of fish otolith reference
material by ICP-MS.

Investigations in the cycling between oxidized and reduced forms of
iron in freshwater has mainly been carried out in streams affected by
acid mine drainage. This study looks at the existance of an iron diel
cycle in the Pearl River, Mississippi. Speciation of iron plays a
significant role in the transport of trace metals and/or organic matter.
Using filtered (0.2 [micro]m) surface water collected from the Pearl
River near Stennis Space Center, Mississippi a series of incubation
experiments has been conducted. Initial incubations showed that an iron
diel cycle was not significant with [Fe(II)] between 30-80 nM. A
subsequent incubation where samples were treated with the Fe(II)
chelator bathophenanthrolinedisulphonate (BPDS) showed significant
production of Fe(II) up to 2.6 [micro]M. Apparently a diurnal peak of
Fe(II) was being prevented due to rapid oxidation of the Fe(II). Further
incubations will be conducted to ascertain the mechanism behind this
rapid oxidation.

2:20 Break

2:40 DETECTION OF HYPOXIC CONDITIONS IN THE MISSISSIPPI BIGHT IN
THE SUMMER OF 2006

Monitoring of coastal waters for hypoxic conditions on the
continental shelves of the U.S. has revealed that the development of
hypoxia (dissolved oxygen concentrations < 2.0 mg/L) in the summer
months is more common that once thought. In the Mississippi Bight,
anecdotal evidence for the sporadic recurrence of hypoxia in Mississippi
Bight had been recently augmented by summer time measurements conducted
by the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources in 2004 at Fish Haven
2 (FH-2) south of Horn Island, and analysis of foraminifer assemblages
in surface sediment samples taken in the 1950's near FH-2. Based
upon a detection of near-hypoxic waters near FH-2 in late July 2006, two
cruises on the R/V Tom Mellwain were conducted in August 2006 to sample
a grid of 22 sites south of the barrier islands of Mississippi. The
prime objectives were to map the extent of the hypoxic region along with
the physical environment (temperature, salinity, and currents). With
some exceptions, at each site profiles were measured of dissolved
oxygen, temperature, pressure, conductivity, turbidity, and currents.
Oxygen was measured using a YSI 6030 probe and a Sea-Bird SBE 43 probe.
Salinity and dissolved oxygen values were compared and verified with
analysis of discrete water samples using a Guildline Autosalinometer and
Winkler analysis, respectively. A hypoxic bottom water region of 7 sites
extending seaward to ~20 m water depth near FH-2 and extending along the
10 m isobath from Ship Island to Petit Bois Pass was detected. Winkler
analyses confirmed four of these sites, with the other three having
values <2.8 mg/L. Dissolved oxygen profiles exhibited large gradients
near the seafloor making difficult the match-up between the profile data
and the water samples. Eleven of the sites had values <3.0 mg/L. The
water column was highly stratified throughout the region, in some cases
with several pronounced pycnoclines, consistent with isolation of deep
waters from atmospheric refreshment.

3:00 EFFECTS OF SITE, SEASON, AND DEPTH IN SEDIMENT ON THE
ABUNDANCE OF LIVE FORAMINIFERA IN TWO NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO MARSHES

The abundance of living foraminifera was documented over one year
for two northern Gulf of Mexico salt marshes: one in a high-marsh
setting of the Pearl River, and one in a low-marsh setting of the
Jourdan River. This study tested the effects of site and season on the
distribution of live foraminifera with depth in the sediment. Three
sediment cores were taken and combined at each site in each of four
seasons. The foraminifera were stained with rose Bengal, sieved at 45
[micro]m, and counted. Statistical analysis consisted of two-way ANOV As
and a series of pair-wise comparisons. During the study, 14 taxa were
recorded as living. Of these, 11 taxa were found in the low-salinity,
high marsh, which was dominated by Trochammina macrescens, Trochammina
inflata and Tiphotrocha comprimata, and 13 in the higher-salinity, low
marsh, which was dominated by Miliammina fusca. Both site and depth in
sediment had significant effects. However, the interaction effect was
not significant. Surprisingly, season did not have a significant effect
nor was there a significant interaction between site and season. The
fauna had a statistically significant preference for depths <5 cm,
and several species, including Polysaccammina ipohalina and Trochammina
macrescens, had significant abundance peaks in the subsurface from 2.5-5
cm.

Remote sensing of submersed aquatic vegetation (SAV) is often
limited due to the water absorption of near infrared radiation. We
studied depth-induced variations in the reflectance patterns of common
SAV using a GER spectroradiometer to provide a scientific understanding
of the effects of depth and turbidity on remote sensing of SAV. Spectral
measurements of upwelling energy were taken over Ruppia maritima beds at
Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) and over outdoor
tanks containing Myriophyllum aquaticum. Water level above the plant
canopy was controlled by siphoning. Plants were scanned three times at a
each depth at the intervals of 5-10 cm. The upwelling energy was
converted to reflectance (%). Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) values were then calculated for each set of measurements. Due to
water absorption, the high plateau that appears in near-infrared regions
of terrestrial plants became two individual peaks in submerged plants at
approximately 719 and 810nm. NDVI values were approximately 0.3 for
emergent SAV; these values decreased as water depth increased. Remote
detection of SAV in shallow, coastal and inland waters will be improved
if our results are integrated into the current vegetation index. We will
apply our results to AISA images of Grand Bay NERR to assess the
capability of this technique in identifying SAV beds. Acknowledgements:
This research is supported by grants from NOAA-ECSC (No. NA17AE1626,
Subcontract # 27-0629-017 to Jackson State University), National Science
Foundation-UBM (No. DMS-0531927), MS-AL Sea Grant Consortium, and The
Center for University Scholars of Jackson State University.

The ribbed mussel Geukensia demissa is a dominant intertidal bivalve commonly found in salt marshes along the east coast of the
United States and the Gulf of Mexico; the eastern oyster Crassostrea
virginica is subtidal in the same regions. Previous studies have shown
that detrital lignocellulose derived from Spartina alterniflora is
utilized by G. demissa to meet 26-80% of its carbon requirements whereas
C. virginica assimilates < 3%. We hypothesize that differences in the
gut microflora of these two bivalves may contribute to the observed
variation in digestion of refractory organic detritus. To characterize
the gut microbial community in these bivalves, universal primers
specific for bacteria were used to PCR amplify the 16S ribosomal RNA
gene, which was then cloned. Sequence results from the clone libraries
indicate that the two bivalve species do have different gut bacterial
communities. Mycoplasma spp. dominate in the gut of G. demissa. Other
gut bacteria included Enterococcus faecium, Epulopiscium sp.,
Streptacidiphilus, Lactobacillus zeae and Synechococcus sp. In contrast,
Mycoplasma was not found in C. virginica, although Massilia sp.,
Salmonella sp., Desemzia incerta, Gaetbulimicrobium brevivitae,
Acinetobacter sp., Anaplasma sp., and several uncultured proteobacteria
were isolated. Current efforts are focused on determining whether the
gut isolates are cellulolytic.

4:00 Divisional Business Meeting

COPYRIGHT 2007 Mississippi Academy of Sciences
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.